1 min read

Season 6, Episode 15

NABTU on the importance of improving diversity in the trades

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Guest Name:


Melissa Wells

Guest Website:


NABTU 

Guest Social Media:


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Supportive Documents:


Melissa Wells, Special Assistant to the President of the North America’s Building Trades Unions (NABTU), joined the America’s Work Force Union Podcast to provide perspective on how enhancing diversity in union construction careers can serve as a pathway to the middle class.

Wells’ journey began with the Baltimore-DC Building Trades Council as Regional Director, where she led the growth of Apprenticeship Readiness Programs and community partnership development for the council. Wells also represents the 40th district in the Maryland House of Delegates, where she develops policies that support economic security.

Wells emphasized the critical role union apprenticeship programs play in promoting diversity and providing stable, well-paying careers. According to Wells, the building trades are excelling in getting more women, workers of color and veterans into a union career path. She added that this commitment to diversity not only enriches the workforce but also ensures that the benefits of union membership—such as high wages and comprehensive benefits—are accessible to historically underrepresented groups.

Wells acknowledged the challenges of changing perceptions about entering the trades, particularly in schools where college is seen as the primary path to success. She advocates for greater collaboration with school counselors and parents to promote apprenticeships as viable and rewarding career options. Wells said ensuring that lawmakers understand how registered apprenticeships are part of the ecosystem of good-paying career pathways will be crucial for changing the perception of the trades.

Listen to the episode above for a deeper dive into Wells and NABTU’s efforts to enhance diversity in the trades.


America’s Work Force is the only daily labor podcast in the US and has been on the air since 1993, supplying listeners with useful, relevant input into their daily lives through fact-finding features, in-depth interviews, informative news segments and practical consumer reports. America’s Work Force is committed to providing an accessible venue in which America's workers and their families can hear discussion on important, relevant topics such as employment, healthcare, legislative action, labor-management relations, corporate practices, finances, local and national politics, consumer reports and labor issues.

America’s Work Force Union Podcast is brought to you in part by our sponsors: AFL-CIO, American Federation of Government Employees, American Federation of Musicians Local 4, Alliance for American Manufacturing, Anthem Blue Cross Blue Shield, Brotherhood of Maintenance of Way Employes-IBT, Boyd Watterson, Columbus/Central Ohio Building and Construction Trades Council, Communication Workers of America, Mechanical Insulators Labor Management Cooperative Trust, International Association of Heat and Frost Insulators and Allied Workers Local 50, International Federation of Professional and Technical Engineers, International Union of Bricklayers and Allied Crafts, International Union of Painters and Allied Trades District Council 6, Ironworkers Great Lakes District Council, Melwood, The Labor Citizen newspaper, Laborers International Union of North America, The National Labor Office of Blue Cross and Blue Shield, North Coast Area Labor Federation, Ohio Federation of Teachers, United Labor Agency, United Steelworkers.

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